As a part of Dallas Area Rapid Transit's (DART) Point B, Strategic Plan, the organization has launched a new campaign: Live Green, Ride Clean. This effort will address the cleanliness and overall maintenance of DART Facilities, including bus stops, transfer and train stations and the agency's buses and light-rail vehicles.
DART is working to establish itself as an agnecy based in mainline cleaning; a practice where light-rail vehicles are being cleaned throughout the day- even when the vehicle is in revenue service. In addition to this effort, all vehicles are brought into rail and bus service yards where they are deep cleaned before they are put back into revenue service the following morning.
“DART is thrilled to be able to spotlight the efforts of our clean team through the Live Green, Ride Clean initiative,” said Bernard Jackson, DART’s senior executive vice president and COO. “This effort relates to many of the pillars of our Point B Strategic Plan, especially Quality Service and Culture of Contribution. As part of these, we want our riders to see the care that our team puts towards making DART spaces clean and inviting and we want our employees to deliver on our mission of creating a best-in-class mobility experiences that help people and communities connect and flourish.”
The overall goals of Live Green, Ride Clean are to:
- Enhance hygiene standards: Comprehensive cleaning of stations, bus shelters, trains and buses to ensure all areas meet or exceed hygiene regulations
- Landscape beautification: Improve drive up appeal and enhance beauty through plants and landscape materials
- Improve functionality: Maintenance work to address any operational issues and ensure all facilities are functioning optimally
- Elevate user experience: Create a more inviting and user-friendly environment for all visitors and employees
“It is extremely gratifying to hear from the community as they notice the changes that are being implemented as we work to enhance the system,” said Gustavo Espinoza, assistant vice president of maintenance of way and facility maintenance. “Many people would be surprised to find out the effort and staffing that is required to maintain a system as large as ours. We take immense pride in ensuring that things look their best, that is why we have efforts like the mainline cleaning program, or a 2-hour window to remove any graffiti that is offensive.”
